


Awake

by OptimisticEmotion



Series: State of Consciousness [2]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Amnesia, Identity confusion, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 20:07:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8547358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OptimisticEmotion/pseuds/OptimisticEmotion
Summary: Sequel to 'Sleep'. Robin finally wakes up and there are complications. Any more information is a spoiler





	

There was a beeping next to his ear. It was soft and rhythmic, but annoying none the less. There was also a light shining on his closed lids. It was too bright. He wanted to put his hands over his face to shield it, to provide shade. But he couldn't get his hands to move more than an inch before they pulled at a wire or two. He groaned and tried to turn his head. It did little in the way of blocking the light. The beeping was also becoming unbearable. He then decided to try opening his eyes, squinting to see if he could make anything out. Nothing. All he could see around him was black, which was strange as the world was still to bright for him to fully open his eyes. He looked up to see a yellow-orange circle. It hurt his eyes badly and he slammed them shut again.

It took his distressed mind a moment to realize what was happening. He was in a dark place with a light shining down on him directly. He groaned again and tried once more to look around himself. He quickly noted that the beeping was coming from a machine next to the bed, it must be his heart monitor. He also looked down at his arms and noted that there were the wires he felt before. One wasn't a wire at all, but a thin plastic tube that was attacked to an I.V Drip. The wires themselves seemed attached to another machine, one that he couldn't tell what the wavy lines were for.

He managed to untangle one of his arms and it reached his face, clearing the sleep from his eyes. He also yawned. He went to rub at his eyes again when he noticed the other wires attached with suction cups to his head. They were also attacked to the monitor that was showing the unidentified wavy lines.

Sitting up was almost impossible. Only almost because he somehow manged it. Moving himself up on the bed a little to lean back on the wall behind him, he was finally able to shade his eyes from the over hanging light source. When he did, though, he was now able to make a few things out around him. Such as he was in some kind of, sick bay? There were other beds around him, all empty, and there were cupboards and counters and rolling trays and turned off monitors and and empty I.v. Drips. Yep. It was an unused sick bay of some kind. Well, it couldn't be completely unused, he was in here after all.

Finally done with the guessing game, he realized he needed more answers than he could gain by himself. With that in mind, he called out.

"Hello?" He winced, his throat was incredibly dry. His voice came out as barely more than a hoarse whisper. "Hello!" He tried again, louder, but it was still barely audible in the room itself. No one was going to hear him from the out side, where he suspected whoever attached him to everything would be.

He was contemplating getting out of the bed when the light above him flickered and then just gave out. Alright. Time to go. He then began to remove the wires and clips and suction cups from himself, setting the monitors in a frenzy with an alarm that sounded one good time before the sound it self became all static and then a loud click and pop told him that it died, just like the light. The monitors on either side of him flickered a little as well. In their doing so showed him they were now his soul light source and either the room he was in had no windows or it was and extremely dark night out.

Taking a deep breath he pushed the blanket from his body to reveal a hospital gown. He checked to make sure it covered everything. It didn't but he had on boxers so that was alright, he figured. Finally he took a step onto the cold floor, and pushed himself out of the bed. He stumbled a bit and had to use the bed to support himself before he could actually walk. When he finally could do just that, he made his way to the door.

A small waved of panic fall on him the moment he touched the handle. What was on the other side? What if it was locked? What if it was pitch black out there as well? He shook his head. He couldn't wait in this room forever, and he felt like he had. So collecting up all his bravo, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

The hall to the sickbay was wide and short. The area was lit in red flood lights and he couldn't make out much detail. He could hear voices though, and that was a big development. He tried to follow them, walking down the hall, but it just opened to another room, where none off the voice were, in fact, they had died down and he was left in silence again.

"Hello?" He tried again. But nothing. It didn't help that his voice wasn't much louder than before.

He kept walking, finding lots of empty rooms that he passed through, any door was an unexplored door and he was trying to find anyone who could tell him where the hell he was. It didn't help that pretty much all the power seemed to be out except the blessed red flood lights that kept him from being purely in the dark. They did not, however, keep him from getting purely lost.

He had come across doors that he felt needed opened and that lead to a gym, and then showers and then closets that lead to him walking back and finding another door that lead to a library that held another door that lead to a study and then he made his way back, there was some rooms that had multiple doors and lead on for as deep as five rooms and one even made it all the way out to a new hall. Or he had gone in a circle and it was the same hall and the rooms connected. He didn't know. All he knew was that he was starting to feel claustrophobic and his breathing was matching pace with his heart. And that was racing _fast_.

Knowing he didn't want to hyperventilate, he leaned against the wall of the hall and took a few relaxing breaths. After he calmed down he heard the voices again and he cried out as loud as he could. It seemed to have been loud enough to echo down the hall a bit before dying. But the voices stopped, and he heard nothing else. He called out a couple more times just in case, but was met with silence. He started to wonder if the voices weren't in his head.

He sobbed a small bit before he caught himself. No, he'd get answers, he'd find a way out. He stood up again and started walking once more. He kept walking until he saw a white light at the end of the hall, it wasn't red or black, it was white, and he had decided it was the most beautiful color in the world. He started to run to it. He heard the voices again, this time they were a bit louder. As he came into the lit room, he froze. He was in the middle of a living room, a joining Kitchen separated just from a counter and cabinetry. The lights gave real color to everything and he discovered the source of the voices.

The T.V. was on and the sound kept cutting in and out. He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on captions as a news anchor was reporting.

'County wide black out devastating every city from Junction to Haverhill and every town in between.' The Anchor lady tapped her papers as she tucked a blond hair behind her ear. 'The Justice League and Young Justice are currently working to figure the cause of this disaster that is leaving busy streets without traffic control, stores and homes without basic necessities such as; refrigeration, air conditioning, central heating, phone service, internet, and lighting. Those with generators are encouraged to use it sparingly and help those in need that they can.'

He frowned. So that would explain why the entire place was without power. Why not this room though? Maybe it had a back up generator? Maybe the important rooms did, like how this room held the food and informational source, this would be the best place to put a back up generator, right? He still had no idea how to get out though. But this room was the most comforting he had found in the entire labyrinth of flood lights and doors.

Opting to stay near the rich light source, he decided to not go back down the hall, or even that other hall that was on the other side of the room. Instead he decided he was going to look at those strange things at the other side of the room. He walked over and saw that they were build into the wall like large cubbies with lights that were currently not shining that littered black bands of metal that made up the whole tube in the wall. They were more than big enough for him to stand in, in fact, they could probably fit five people each with someone sitting on their shoulders with someone sitting on theirs. So, maybe a bunch of circus people? Either way, what ever they were used for, it obviously required electricity and that was not being fed into them at this current moment. He sighed and went to sit on the long green couch, it looked comfy. He wondered if he was really completely alone here. In this huge building with no windows and few lights.

He pulled his knees to his chest. Okay, now he let himself cry. He let himself sob for a good solid minute before there was a sudden whirring sound and a few clicks brought the electricity on. He looked to the T.V. where the subtitles were showing the anchor's happy news that the Justice League and the Young Justice heroes mission was a success and the power was turning on all over the grid. There was another loud sound, and a bit of light that came from the side and he watched as a silhouette of a person came through.

'Recognize Artemis b07' An electronic voice rang in the room.

He looked over and saw a girl in Green cloths, mask and quiver, holding an equally green bow. She was blond and looked over to him with a surprised looked on her face.

"Robin! You up!" She ran to him and knelt in front of where he sat on the couch.

"W-We know each other?" He asked.

"Wha- yes, yes we know each other, we're on the same team, you've been in a coma for three months!" She cried, he could see tears start to wet her mask. "Oh God, you woke up during the black out," She gasped.

He couldn't do much more than stare at her in confusion. Just then, other's came in as well, the same theatrics gained them access in that had the girl in front of him. And they each had a similar reaction.

"We better call Batman!" A green girl exclaimed. She was literally green, not that she was sick, but her skin was just a slightly darker tone than the couch. She also had bright red hair that contrasted against her skin.

"Rob, put this on, you don't want Daddy Bats to know you've been seen without it." Another red head handed him a mask, one side was sticky and he figured it was the side he pressed to his skin.

"Why would 'Daddy Bats' not want me to be seen without it?" He asked, as he complied anyway. He got a couple incredulous looks from the faces around him. Even the ones from the dark skinned and fair haired boy with gills on the side of his neck and the fair skinned dark haired boy with an 'S' on his chest told him what he just asked was a strange question. But he still wanted to know.

"Well, you are a hero, Robin, and you must keep your identity a secret," The dark skinned gill boy explained. Robin frowned.

"Then what's my hero name?" He asked.

"Robin," He was answered. His frown deepened.

"Then what's my real name?" He asked. He was met with silence. "You don't know? None of you?"

"Well, I do, but, erm,-" The red-haired boy scratched the back of his neck.

"You do?" He was met with a shout from both the Blonde girl that he had first seen and the dark haired boy in the back of the group.

"Kaldur does too!" The Ginger defended himself and pointed at the dark skinned gill boy. Gill Boy just sighed.

"Yes, Wally and I were well aware of Robin's true identity for years, we all started to apprentice for our mentors around the same time and they had felt that allowing us, as well as Roy to share in that bond, it would make things, easier, on us as young children," Gill Boy explained.

"Well, Rob started way earlier than us." The ginger boy shrugged.

"You two do realize you are talking as if Robin isn't in the room with us, right?" The dark haired boy in the back glared over at them.

"Whoops. Yeah. So, Rob, you don't remember anything?" The Ginger Boy asked.

"Nothing, just, waking up in the dark," He, Robin, replied. He was met with sympathetic looks from each of his, erm, teammates? Friends?

"M'gann, do you think you could help Robin with his missing memories?" Gill Boy asked Green Girl. The one with green Skin, not green Cloths. The red-haired Girl.

"Not without being extremely invasive. Pulling his memories together would require me to sort them out. It would also take hours. I, I don't think _I_ should," The Ginger Girl replied.

"Maybe we should just call Batman?" the Blond Girl looked to Robin as if she were asking him, instead of how everyone else was acting like he was asleep, brain dead, or just not there. Robin decided he liked her most.

"I'll make the call," The Ginger Boy sighed as he walked away. "Don't worry Rob, we've got this," He said as he left. Robin tought he saw the other try to put on a smile, but left to quick for Robin to see it.

"I'll get you something to drink, you sound like you could use it." The Ginger Girl smiled kindly at Robin and walked to the Kitchen.

"I will go get the reports we have been instructed to finish completed," Gill Boy excused himself and left. The Dark Haired boy and the Blond Girl were still by his side, and considering how they sat down and made themselves comfortable, they weren't intending to move anytime soon.

"I'm Conner, by the way," The Dark Haired teen introduced himself. Conner was sitting in the cozy chair just adjacent to the sofa Robin and the Blond girl was on.

"Thank you. I was getting confused for a moment." Robin smiled back. He had felt too awkward to ask for names so to have one given to him was nice.

"I'm Artemis, then I guess. I didn't realize that losing your memory would have caused you to forget our names. Should have been an obvious 'duh' though, huh?" Artemis, smiled at him. He smiled back.

"So who were the others?" Robin asked.

"M'gann's the one in the kitchen right now, supposedly getting you a drink." Conner smirked.

"Supposedly?" Robin and Artemis asked at the same time.

"She's a bit distracted trying to make sure none of the food spoiled while the power was out," He explained.

Robin stood just a bit to see that indeed, the green skinned girl was digging through the fridge and checking the items within it.

"How'd you know?" He asked, sitting back down.

"Super hearing. I could hear her muttering under her breath about bad milk," Conner shrugged.

"The milk is bad because Wally left it out yesterday," Artemis grumbled.

"So if you have super hearing, what do you have?" Robin pointed from Conner to Artemis.

"Bow and arrows," She answered back with a small smirk.

"But what about your super powers?" He asked.

"Don't have any," She explained. "Neither do you."

"I don't have any powers?" Robin pouted a bit.

"Nope, but you still kick more bad guy butt than all the meta's on this team combined," she smiled. He didn't know if she was telling the truth or trying to cheer him up, so he just smiled back.

"Sure I do," He sighed. "Why was I in a coma, though?" He asked. The two teens tensed visibly at this question.

"Well, you see, it's a dangerous job," Artemis started, but she looked like she rather not continue.

Robin looked over to Conner.

"You were kidnapped and tortured for a little over a week," He said; cut, dry, the end. But Robin's eyes widened despite the unenthusiastic way the news was broken to him. He looked over to Artemis, who looked like she wanted to bang her bow over the other boy's head.

"We were on a mission and it took us a week to get back. We were all exhausted. The Zeta tubes, what we just arrived with, they were down so Batman came to pick you up to take you home. On the way though, you were kidnapped by a villain named Riddler. You, you were forced to stay awake for days straight." She worried her lip and put a hand to his shoulder. He just now realized his were in fists and his mouth was open. He closed it as Artemis continued. "We finally found you and got you to a hospital, but, you were, you were in really bad shape." Artemis looked like she was done with the story.

"I, why would this 'Riddler' want to torture me?" Robin asked, not understanding something.

"Because you helped put him in jail more than a few times," a new voice joined in. Well it wasn't exactly 'new'. Just the Ginger boy coming back from making his call and helping explain things to Amnesia Boy.

"I put him in Jail, and he decided to make me pay for it?" Robin asked.

"According to Batman, you were taken by accident when Riddle was stealing the Batmobile," Conner added.

"The what?"

"Speaking of Batman, what did he say when you called him?" Artemis asked Ginger Boy.

"He said he'll be on his way. But he sounded like he was in the middle of something nasty, so it may take him a bi-"

'Recognize Batman 02' The computer sounded. Conner and Artemis gave Ginger Boy a look, he smiled nervously before going to meet the mystery man.

"Where is he?" A dark, extremely scary voice, growled. Robin could feel his heart rate pick up.

"He's here," Artemis called over to a man in all black with a half face mask with pointy ears on it. So that's why they call him 'Batman'. Huh. Fits.

"Robin?" the voice softened when the man looked over to Amnesia Boy. That name seemed to fit better than one of a bird as Robin wanted to fly away right now, but couldn't.

"Um, I, hi?" He replied. The dark clad, erm, man, took a step forward and Robin could feel his heart race. This guy was freaking him out. He looked more like a villain than a hero.

"He doesn't remember anything, he has-"

"Amnesia, yes, Kid Flash told me over the call." Batman interrupted Artemis. "Robin, I'm going to take you home now." Batman didn't come closer, but he didn't make it sound like the boy had a choice either.

"Batman? When did you get here?" M'gann came back into the room a glass of water in hand which she handed over to Robin.

"Just now," Conner answered in the man's place. Robin started to drink the water in his hands.

"I'm taking Robin home, he can finish healing there," Batman explained.

"I'll go with you. He doesn't seem all that ready to just go anywere just yet." Ginger Boy stepped forward.

"He doesn't know either of you! Slow down a bit and give him a chance to- Robin, stop that you'll-" Before Artemis could finish either sentence, Robin had chugged the water greedily and was now throwing it up all over the floor. He was now coughing violently.

"I'm taking him back now," Batman said decidedly walking over and picking Robin up while he was distracted. "I will let you know if his condition changes at all," He promised as he left again.

"You know he won't," Robin could hear Conner grumble as they left.

Robin was barely aware of the change in venue as Batman lead him to a black car with a sliding hood. He was placed gently in the passenger seat.

"Uh, thanks?" Robin said as he buckled himself in.

Batman didn't answer him as he got behind the wheel and the top of the car covered them again.

"So, where are we going now?" Robin asked.

"We are going home. You are going to rest. I'm going to call Martian Manhunter, and _he_ is going to fix this." That last line sounded less sure than the others and Robin put in the unsaid 'I hope' where it belonged.

He sighed an leaned back. Well, either he gets his memories back or he gets to figure out where this new life takes him. Either way it was bound to be entertaining. For now though, he agree with the man next to him. He did need rest.

Robin woke up to being carried out of the car and up a flight of stairs, barely noticing that the chest of the person who was carrying him lacked a symbol on their chest. He looked up bleary eyed at a man with dark hair and dark blue eyes. He looked worried, Robin wondered if it was about him.

"Who, are you?" He asked the man.

"I'm your guardian, Dick. I'm Bruce Wayne," The man answered.

"Hey, no need to call me names I just, wanted to know who you are." Robin felt his eyes grow heavy again.

"I'm not calling you names. Richard Grayson is your real name. You tend to go by 'Dick' when you can," This 'Bruce' tried to explain. But Robin had already started to drift by the end of his sentence and the boy didn't care what he was called, so long as he was put in a nice comfy bed soon.

The next time he woke up he was in a room with blue walls littered with posters and stickers. Nothing around him rang any bells, but if the picture of the nightstand told him anything, it was his room. So he must know how to skateboard and he must really like math. Nothing about the bedroom would make one suspect the sidekick of a crime fighting bat lived here.

Robin looked down at himself and saw that he was now in actual pajama's. Someone must have dressed him while he was out, he was extremely exhausted last night. He could just barely remember someone carrying him up the stairs. Was it the guy in the picture showing a young Robin and what seemed to be his parents? No, the guy didn't look right. Besides, he'd be much older if Robin's growth since the picture said anything. He wondered if they knew about his being 'Robin'.

That reminded him, did the person who carried him say what his name was? It sounded like an insult at first. That much he remembered. He didn't think it was Ralph, though. Hmm, he'd have to ask. And to do that, he'd have to leave his room.

He had gotten lost, again. But this Mansion, because there was no way a house had that many freaking halls, was a lot easier to figure out than the, where ever he was when he woke up. And soon enough he found himself walking down a case of stairs that let to some type of great hall. He saw the double doors, glass windows around them on the sides showing the daylight, and Robin couldn't stop himself from running as fast as he could to the exit. He needed to get outside for a moment. And no, he did not count last night when Batman carried him to the car.

He slammed open the doors and was met with a beautiful day. He took the biggest breath of fresh air that he could remember. Given not much, but hey. He couldn't help but smile so happily at the liberating feeling of not being trapped in seemingly endless dark halls with no windows. He sat himself on the front step of the, in proportion to the rest of the mansion, small porch. He didn't want to go back inside if he could help it.

"Good Lord, Master Dick, you'll let the cold air outside!" A foreign voice called out to him. Robin recognized the name it called, though, and turned to see who had spoken. On his way to the boy out side was an old English butler with graying hair that did not reach the top of his head and a pencil stash that was a darker shade than the hair on his head.

"Um, hello? Dick, that's, me right?" Robin asked to make sure.

"Oh my, I suppose it's true, you've suffered memory loss." The man walked over to him. "Yes, you are the young master Richard, Dick for short. You are the ward of the head of this household, one Bruce Wayne," The man explained.

"Right! That's who carried me to bed, right?" Robin thought back to before his last pass out.

"Yes, yes he was." The Butler gave a bit of a nod.

"So who are you then?" Robin asked.

"I am Alfred Pennyworth, a dear friend to you and Master Bruce and a loyal servant of the Wayne family." The man smiled sadly as he made his own introduction.

Robin smiled. "So when is, erm, 'Martian Mankiller' suppose to fix my head?" Robin asked.

"He will hopefully be hear before too long. Sometime today, I was informed," Alfred answered. "Now, I understand needing fresh air as much as the next person, but really we must get you into something more suitable for outside play." Robin smiled and went with the man inside.

He had pretty much given up trying to learn anything new, knowing he was probably going to be getting his memories back soon anyway. But investigating and exploring were two different things, Robin decided, and why just sit around when he is given the golden opportunity to relearn all that is around him. For all he knew, he probably memorized this place top to bottom and left to right. So just for the fun of it, he started to look around and rediscover every hall, every room, every trap and secret passage way, was Alfred aware of those? He should probably hide them better if he was. For the first half of the day, Robin had kept himself busy making a mental map of his supposed home.

After lunch, however, Bruce had materialized just as Robin had finished his grilled cheese.

"Dick, how are you feeling, Son?" Bruce asked him. Robin couldn't place why the man's voice sounded familiar. He remembered the previous night when the man had carried him to his room, if only barely, but that wasn't it. Then again, could Bruce be Batman? Their voices were similar, not the same, but similar. And Bruce could easily just spoke in a lower octave while in costume.

"I'm feeling fine, just, can't remember a thing," Robin replied.

"Come with me, I have a friend I'd like you to meet." Bruce lead Robin to his study, one of the first rooms to have been explored. He spun the hands on the clock like a combination lock before pulling on the pendulum below. There was a 'click' sound and Bruce swung the clock to the side. Robin felt his eyes grow wide as he saw the stairs that went down to the darkness.

Bruce lead him, without any form of light source. Robin hoped Bruce understood and appreciated the amount of forced faith and trust he had to put forward, as well as bravo and blind stupidity, it took to follow the man he still barely knew into the pitch black darkness that was hidden away in a very secret place where no one knew where he'd be. In fact, why Robin wasn't high tailing it in the other direction was a mystery to him as he continued forward.

Soon they reached what seemed like a natural cave underneath the Mansion, which Alfred had informed Robin it is a humble 'manor' not a 'mansion' but heck it was huge to _him_. Once in the the cave, Robin noticed a green man, much like what's her face, Megan? Didn't they say it weird though? Either way, the man stood in the middle of the cave that started to light up a bit more as he and Bruce came down the stairs.

"Dick, this is Martian Manhunter," Bruce introduced them.

"Hiya." Robin put his hand out to shake. The martian gave him a kind smile and shook it as if they met for the first time. Robin honestly didn't know if they really had met before or not, but apparently he was on a team with a person with green skin, maybe she was a martian too, maybe his daughter. Robin wanted to smack himself. That was incredibly racist the stereo typing he just did. Just because two people are the same color of skin does not mean they are related! He was so glade there wasn't a mind reader around to witness his evil horrible thoughts.

"Actually, you were quite close. M'gann is my niece," Martian Manhunter said suddenly and Robin went white. "And yes, I can read your mind," the martian smirked.

"I- I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to be rude!" Robin apologized.

"It's quite alright, one can barely be held responsible for their random thoughts," the alien reassured him. "Now Robin I will need you to be at your most relaxed. Batman here, I mean, Mr. Wayne-"

"It's alright J'onn, he's going to remember in a bit and if he hasn't already connected the dots-," Bruce waved it off.

"Yes I see, well Robin, Batman has set up the medical bed so that we may use it to help us repair your memories properly," Martian Manhunter said before leading the boy toward a curtained off area and showed Robin the bed he mentioned.

Robin climbed into it and readied himself.

"I need you to sleep Robin, then I can begin," Martian Manhunter said. "And as I can see you are not likely to do so one your own, with your permission I will put you to sleep the, easy way."

"And the 'easy way' would be?" Robin asked.

"I will use my psychic powers." It was a simple replay.

"Um, o-okay. I guess if it's necessary, it'd healthier than a sedative right?" Robin asked. Martian Manhunter nodded and got to work putting his hands on either side of Robin's head, and the last thing that Robin could remember was the world turning black.

* * *

He didn't wake up this time. No, this time he knew he wasn't 'awake'. But he still felt more alert. Like he _was_ awake. He looked around himself, he was in an abandoned big top. The place was trashed, like a war happened in it. There were scorch marks and acidic burns and throwing knives and darts everywhere. Everything else just looked broken, like an elephant threw a fit and destroyed it.

"I see, so your mind puts you back in your old circus." Robin gasped and turned around. There was Martian Manhunter.

"I- I don't understand, where is this? How is this going to get my memories back?" Robin asked.

"A person's mind is much like their own room. For some that is where their mind would take them. Other's would see a place a bit more unique and special to them. There are even some who have a made up some fictional reality that their mind lets them retreat to. For you, Robin, it would seem that the place your mind finds to organize is the circus you grew up and lived with your mother and father," Manhunter explained. "Where you also lost them."

"What? But, my memories, I- I need to remember!" Robin clenched his head in his hands. Suddenly a hand found one of his and Robin looked up. Manhunter was closer now, comforting him.

"Together, Robin, we can sort out the memories that have scattered," Manhunter reassured. Robin nodded, and they began.

They were getting quite a bit of progress done. The process, as J'onn explained it, was as different for a person's mind as their mind's room was. And the way they were getting Robin's put together was Robin would have to venture out of the Big top into a side carnival where he hunted down random things that called to him. Each thing was significant and had a memory attached and he'd take it back to the Big Top for J'onn to help him place. Sometimes it was material to fix things, or it was a random thing that didn't really belong there, like Speedy's hat, or Artemis' bow. He had also found things of the villains. A joker card reminding him vividly of the horrid maniac, or a potted plant that brought Ivy back into his mind.

But one thing that Robin knew held a memory, the one thing Robin couldn't bring himself to retrieve, was a golden rod, with a question mark on the top, dotted with an emerald. He just couldn't. The teen kept saying he was leaving it for last, but too soon, it was the only thing left.

Robin took a breath and reached for it slowly. The memories wouldn't come until he got to the tent, but even so. He held it carefully as he made his way slowly to the tent. He had rushed through everything else, excited with each memory, learning more about himself. But this, this is something he felt he could do without. He stopped just at the threshold of the tent. Martian Manhunter seemed to have caught on to the boy's hesitation.

"Robin?" He asked.

"I think this one, I could do without. I- I don't want to remember," His voice quaked.

"I'm sorry Robin, but without everything in place, if we leave now, it will all crumble, and though you would remember everything for a few days, you will slowly forget, again, and this time the items in the tent will have disappeared, not just scattered," J'onn warned him.

"I- I see. No choice then, huh?" Robin asked.

"You always have a choice, Robin." Manhunter put a hand to his shoulder. "But I cannot promise that they would be nice or pleasant."

"Alright. Let's do this then." Robin inhaled and stepped through the curtain door.

Suddenly he could remember all the pain, the fear, the confusion he felt when he had been kidnapped. Sure he had been kidnapped before. But this one was the most brutal. He remembered how tired he was as he was denied any form of sleep. He remembered the nice guards that tried to make things easier on him, then memories of the more cruel ones surfaced, and then Riddler himself. His main kidnapper, and his new darkest nightmare. The man managed to make Robin weak and suffer without brute force or drugs. All he had to do was snatch him at the right moment, and wait.

"Robin! It's over, please, try not to panic," J'onn comforted him from behind. Robin closed his eyes and shook his head before taking a few calming breaths.

"Right. Right, it's over. Need to keep traught." He tried to sooth himself with one of his own words. It worked a little bit and though he still couldn't snap out of it, he remembered the nice guards that had made things, even if only slightly, more bearable for the young captive.

_"So you and your younger brother don't get along?"_

_"Nah. He was always the family favorite, the special child."_

_"Oh! Oren, tell the brat how you got back to the Jerk!"_

_"Sandy, did you also have siblings?"_

_"Yeah, but they aren't nearly so bad."_

_"Hey Zeb, what's your story?"_

_"Hey, Brat, don't be mean to Nortave. They haven't doing anything to you."_

_"Sorry. Who's Nortave?"_

_"That's Norten and That's David. They happen to be an item."_

_"You guys hear that?"_

_"I guess Batman's found us."_

_"Suppose that means you'll get to go home, Brat. Don't go Forgetting us after Daddybats buries us alive."_

_"..."_

_"Brat? Brat! Guys, we have a bigger problem right now~!"_

The memories faded after that as Robin had, at that time, slipped into a coma. He remembered the girl, Sandy. She was nice, a bit rough around the edges, but still nice. And with that, everything faded to black.

* * *

There was no beeping next to his ear. There was also no light shining on his closed lids. This time, when he let his lids flutter open, Dick wasn't alone nor confused. He knew where and who he was. He looked over to Bruce and smiled.

"Hey. Miss me?" He snickered. Bruce just smiled and shook his head before he helped the teen sit up.

"You alright? Remember everything?" Bruce asked.

"I think so. But I don't think there's really anyway to test that right now," Dick smirked.

"Brat." Bruce shook his head.

"Yeah, so I've been told." Dick thought back to those guards. "Actually, Bruce, think I could barrow the computer?"

* * *

Sandra Newt had just stuffed her littlest brother back in bed. Damn the kid just wouldn't sleep. She was a bit grateful that she had the next day off, but still, sleep is a precious thing. She knew that _very_ well. Every hour of rest she missed because of the trolls and every minute of rest they refused, an image of a very tired bird came to mind and she'd have to fight tears as she forced the monsters to bed. Even going as far as threatening to tied them to the bed if they didn't stay.

Tonight the only one giving her grief was baby Joey, but that was just cause the kid wet himself and Sandy had to change his diaper. Hey, the boy was barely a year old, give him a break.

She also realized that the dirty diaper wasn't going to fit in the trash can without falling to the floor, which is what prompted her to take the trash out in the middle of the night. There, the poor girl was suddenly visited by the last person she expected a visit from. If you just thought 'Santa Clause' then the _second_ last person she expected a visit from.

"Brat?" She looked in disbelief.

"Hey." Robin, the teen wonder, looked back at her with a huge grin.

"What are you doing here? Sh*t, am I under arrest? Is this pay back?" Sandy asked worriedly.

"Nah, I think I can let it slide." Robin jumped down from the roof of the rundown building and landed next to the woman. "Actually, I wanted to thank you," He said.

"Thank me? For keeping you hostage?" Sandy asked looking at Robin incredulously.

"Yeah, well, I know you and the other's didn't have to, but you tried your best to keep me alright. The pillow, the tissues, the conversation, you guys made it easier. So, yeah, thank you." Robin then did something that Sandy _really_ didn't expect. He hugged her.

"Right," He said as he broke the hug, "I better be on my way before Batman goes looking for me. He's been a bit over protective lately for some unknown and very strange reason," the boy snickered. Sandra couldn't help her knowing smirk. Yeah, had one of the trolls gone through what 'Boy Wonder' did three months ago, she'd be a bit of a mother hen, too.

"Hey, Kid!" She called after him as he launched a grapple. "See you in a week!" He leaped off the ground as she spoke and the night was filled with the kid's laughter. Yeah, she was scheduled to help a heist next week, and the Bat and the Bird were expected to show.

Nothing changed, but it was still good to see the Brat was okay. She had been worried, after all, he had been MIA for three months.


End file.
